This invention relates to an improved sheet flooring product and a method of providing enhanced performance characteristics to a sheet flooring product. These enhanced performance characteristics include can drop, refrigerator drag and indentation values according to standard product tests performed by applicant, as described below. The flooring products referred to in this application generally include a felt substrate layer and a melt processable resin layer with an overlying foamed vinyl layer which is printed with a desired decorative pattern and/or chemically-embossable texture. Then the foamed vinyl layer is covered with a protective clear coat or wear layer such as a transparent or translucent vinyl plastisol wear layer or melt processed wear layer, and optionally coated with a high-performance surface. The foamed vinyl layer can also be mechanically textured. This type of product can be manufactured according to a number of variant processes, as described below.
The invention according to various preferred embodiments includes a homogeneous, non-plastisol, melt processable resin layer and an adjacent beater saturated felt layer to achieve a laminated or composite structure which exhibits characteristics suitable as a substrate for a sheet flooring product. The melt processable resin layer is formed by any melt processable method including, but not limited to, calendering and extrusion.
The preferred embodiments of the invention utilize a hot melt calendering (xe2x80x9cHMCxe2x80x9d) process. As used in this application, xe2x80x9cHMCxe2x80x9d refers to the process of formulating a homogeneous mixture containing a resin and preferably plasticizer, stabilizer, filler and other ingredients, heating the mixture and sending it to a calender where the mixture is applied in a precisely controlled thickness to a substrate, such as a felt, to form a laminated sheet.
The embodiments of the invention disclosed herein use a beater saturation process to form the felt substrate which supports the other layers of the sheet flooring during and after manufacture. As used in this application, the beater saturation process refers to a process in which water slurries of fibers and fillers are exposed to latex and chemically induced to destabilize the latex. The latex is thus deposited onto the fibers and fillers rendering the resultant latex-covered flocs capable of paper formation and drainage on a Fourdrinier wire. The process takes place in a cylindrical tank under agitation. It has been found that felt substrates formed by the beater saturation method can be formed in very thin sheets on the order of approximately 10 mils (about 5 mils to about 40 mils) while nevertheless providing good strength and stability to the other layers of the flooring product. Beater saturated felts also permit inexpensive and environmentally safe water-based adhesives to be used for application of the flooring to subflooring with good results. In addition, use of thin felt substrates reduce overall indentation and thus enhance the quality of the flooring while permitting cost-effective manufacturing.
Products made according to the inventive process show surprisingly good can drop, refrigerator drag and indentation test values in comparison with flooring products with plastisol base layers. As explained below, the tests are intended to determine the relative resistance of a flooring product to events which are likely to be encountered during use.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a sheet flooring product which exhibits enhanced can drop, refrigerator drag and indent test values.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sheet flooring product which in one embodiment provides a structure including vinyl layers on both sides of a beater saturated felt layer.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sheet flooring product which in one embodiment includes vinyl layers on both sides of a beater saturated felt layer to provide a product having an enhanced point-of-purchase appearance.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sheet flooring product which permits the cost-effective use of fillers and scrap resin containing material including scrap vinyl material.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sheet flooring product which can be successfully applied to a wide variety of subfloors under varying conditions using inexpensive, environmentally safe adhesives.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in the preferred embodiments disclosed below by providing a sheet flooring component, comprising (a) a homogeneous melt processable resin layer including a melt processable resin and (b) an adjacent felt layer produced by a beater saturated method and having an average thickness of between about 5 mils and about 40 mils.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the average thickness of the felt layer is between about 8 mils and about 15 mils.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the melt processable resin layer is adhered to the felt layer with an adhesive.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the melt processable resin layer is hot melt calendered.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the felt layer has a mineral filler content of greater than 60% by weight.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the felt layer has a mineral filler selected from the group consisting of clay, talc, dolomite and limestone.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the melt processable resin is selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and copolymers thereof.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the melt processable resin is a general purpose polyvinylchloride resin.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the melt processable resin layer comprises less than 30 percent by weight of plasticizer.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the melt processable resin layer comprises less than 10 percent by weight of plasticizer.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises a sheet flooring product comprising a melt processable resin layer including a melt processable resin, a felt layer produced by a beater saturated method and a wear layer. The felt layer is positioned adjacent to the melt processable resin layer. The sheet flooring product has a residual indent value of less than 10 mils.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet flooring product has a residual indent value of less than 5 mils.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises a sheet flooring product, comprising a melt processable resin layer including a melt processable resin, a felt layer produced by a beater saturated method and a wear layer. The felt layer is positioned adjacent to the melt processable resin layer. The sheet flooring product has a can drop value of at least 20 inches.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises a sheet flooring product, including a melt processable resin layer including a melt processable resin, a felt layer produced by a beater saturated method and a wear layer. The felt layer is positioned adjacent to the melt processable resin layer. The sheet flooring product has a refrigerator drag value of greater than 100 pounds.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises a sheet flooring product including a melt processable resin layer including a melt processable resin, a felt layer produced by a beater saturated method and a wear layer. The felt layer is positioned adjacent to the melt processable resin layer. The melt processable resin layer is substantially uniformly thick.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet flooring product includes a second resin layer.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the second resin layer is foamed.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the second resin layer is positioned adjacent to the melt processable resin layer.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the second resin layer overlies the melt processable resin layer.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises a sheet flooring product including a felt layer which is produced by a beater saturated method, a melt processable resin layer formed of a melt processable resin adjacent one side of the felt layer adjacent, and a second resin layer adjacent the other side of the felt layer.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the second resin layer is a foamed resin layer.
An embodiment of a sheet flooring component according to the invention comprises the steps of forming a felt layer by a beater saturated method and applying a melt-processable, non-plastisol layer to the felt layer wherein the felt layer has an average thickness of between about 5 mils and about 40 mils.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the average thickness of the felt layer is between about 8 mils and about 15 mils.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the melt processable resin layer is applied to the felt layer by calendering.
Another embodiment of the method of manufacturing a sheet flooring product comprises the steps of forming a layer including a melt processable resin and forming a felt layer produced by a beater saturated method. The melt processable resin layer and the felt layer are positioned in adjacent relation to each other. The melt processable resin layer and the felt layer are bonded to each other. A foamable resin layer, preferably a plastisol layer, is optionally applied to the melt processable resin layer. A wear layer is applied to the melt processable resin layer or the foamable resin layer.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet flooring product produced from the bonded felt layer and melt processable resin layer has a residual indent value of less than 10 mils.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet flooring product has a can drop value of at least 20 inches.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet flooring product has a refrigerator drag value of greater than 100 pounds.
Another embodiment of the method of manufacturing a sheet flooring product comprises the steps of forming a felt layer produced by a beater saturated method, applying a foamable resin layer, preferably a plastisol layer, to one side of the felt layer adjacent, and applying a wear layer to the foamable plastisol layer. A melt processable resin layer is formed and the melt processable resin layer is bonded to the other side of the felt layer.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet flooring product has a residual indent value of less than 10 mils.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet flooring product has a can drop value of at least 20 inches.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet flooring product has a refrigerator drag value of greater than 100 pounds.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the method includes the step of printing a pattern onto the melt processable resin layer.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the method includes the step of coating the printed layer with a transparent or translucent vinyl plastisol.